Battle of Sessa Aurunca

The Battle of Sessa Aurunca (15 March 1815) was the first battle of the Neapolitan War, taking place in the southern Italian city of Sessa Aurunca between the armies of the Austrian Empire and Kingdom of Naples. Joachim Murat's army defeated the Austrians by use of their 6-in Howitzers.

Background
In 1813, King Gioacchino I (Marechal Joachim Murat) of Naples deserted his Emperor Napoleon I of France to save his own throne from the Austrian Empire. Napoleon was defeated and deported in 1814. However, when Napoleon told Murat of his intent to escape his island prison of Elba in 1815 and Murat declared war on his former Austrian allies five days before Napoleon's entry into the French capital of Paris.

At the time, General Vincenz Ferrerius Bianchi was in command of the Austrian forces in northern Italy, and with nearly 21,000 troops, he launched an attack into southern Italy in the territory of King Murat. The Neapolitans assembled an army of 16,000 troops and met the Austrians at Sessa Aurunca in southern Italy, intending to destroy Bianchi's army.

Dispositions
The Neapolitans and Austrians met in Italian grasslands, which included a small mansion as well as a large area of forest. As a result, the path of the Austrian attack would have to be funneled through short trails that could be bombarded by Neapolitan 6-inch Howitzers. The Austrians had the benefit of Ulans as well as Lancers, while the Neapolitans had only a few regiments of Chasseurs a Cheval. The Neapolitan army, which was dressed and trained in the French manner, was highly-experienced, as was the Austrian army. When battle was joined, it was to be a match of two alike forces.

Battle
The Neapolitan army began the battle by firing explosive shells from their howitzers once the Austrian cavalry came in range, and their shelling inflicted heavy losses on the Austrian horsemen. They drove off three units of Austrian Uhlans with their explosions before battle was even joined, cutting the Austrian army down to one unit of cavalry. By use of the shells, the Neapolitans prevented Austria's famous use of cavalry as the first men to join battle.

Having eliminated much of the Austrian cavalry, the Neapolitan howitzers on the left flank began to target the advancing regiments of Hungarian Fusiliers and German Fusiliers, the core of the Austrian army. Many of the Austrian troops were killed in the explosions, except they were not as quick in escaping as the horse-mounted Austrian cavalry. Heavy losses were counted already.

The Austrian infantry eventually planned to walk into the forests to avoid the explosion of the shells, as it cost them heavily to walk down the trails and have a clear line of sight of the Neapolitan troops. When they arrived in the forests, the Neapolitans mowed them down in the hundreds with hails of musket fire while the howitzers provided a large blast to the Austrian line.

The Hungarian Fusiliers of the Austrian army launched a futile bayonet charge against the Neapolitans in hopes of driving them back and forcing the Neapolitan howitzers to stop firing (else they hit their own men). The Hungarians, however, were low on men and morale and the Neapolitan infantry had not suffered a single loss as of yet. The Neapolitans routed the Austrians and Hungarians with heavy losses, winning a glorious and decisive victory.

Aftermath
The Battle of Sessa Aurunca was a great victory for Murat's Kingdom of Naples. It cost Austria 19,440 troops, preventing Austria from playing a major role in the campaign to bring down Napoleon in June 1815. The Neapolitans suffered 2,090 losses, which were easily replenished through conscription and recruitment. The first battle of the war was Naples' only triumph; in the following months they were to be initially successful in fighting the Austrians, but they would later be attacked by Austria as well as Great Britain, Tuscany, and Sicilian insurgents and the war would end with Murat facing a firing squad.